Diet & Weight Magazine

Dentists’ Dangerous Diet Talk

By Danceswithfat @danceswithfat

Dentists’ Dangerous Diet TalkReader Alissa was just trying to get her kids good dental care. Instead they got a mouthful of bad nutrition advice.

She says:

This was the second time we had seen this dentist. The first time, they went on for a long while about food, but this second time, my mother went with my kids, so I wasn't there.

Over the dinner table, my daughter volunteered this thought: "When the other kids eat raisins at school for snack, I'm not going to, because the dentist said they were bad."

I emailed the doctor giving her feedback that my daughter had taken away this horrifying idea from their food lectures, and that perhaps if they wanted to discuss nutrition so deeply, that they get trauma and eating disorder-informed training. Because diet doesn't occur in a vacuum... there are already social messages being sent to children about food and body size.. and to ignore this just to talk about cavity reduction is naive.

This dentist called me the morning after I sent the feedback via their system, and she was incredibly defensive. She seemingly wanted to call to convince me that talking about food with young children was a totally great idea. She also wanted to convince me that no one has ever complained about it before so why did I complain? At some point I even had to say "Why did you call me?" Eating disorders are on the rise in children, and perhaps pediatric dentists aren't really helping that, even if they feel like discussing food could help cavity reduction. "

The dentist, Alissa found, sends home a big chart about food, "they basically have a policy against like... all crackers... all dried fruits... all sweets... they are cool with veggies, meats and cheeses. They give a talk in the beginning of the appointment about it". Her dentist was upset about her negative feedback and claimed that pediatric dentists are being told to talk more about food with the children (who are brought to them for dentistry services.

In truth, this whole thing is obnoxious and quite possibly dangerous. Nutrition (other than discussing things like brushing after eating) should not be the purview of dentists, and certainly not pediatric dentists who are seeing kids in what is often a high-stress situation, of which the kids have almost no control or way out, at a time when the likelihood of developing an eating disorder is raised. Unless they have advanced training in nutrition and preventing eating disorders, pediatric dentists need to stay all the way in their lane and stick to teeth.

If you have kids and you are taking them to a dentist, it might be worth a conversation with the dentist to make sure that there's no diet talk in their dentistry or fatphobia in their fluoride treatment. A lot of the points from the experts in this article may be helpful for the discussion.

Was this helpful? If you appreciate the work that I do, you can support my ability to do more of it with a one-time tip or by becoming a member. (Members get special deals on fat-positive stuff, a monthly e-mail keeping them up to date on the work their membership supports, and the ability to ask me questions that I answer in a members-only monthly Q&A Video!)

Like this blog? Here's more cool stuff:

Wellness for All Bodies Program: A simple, step-by-step, super efficient guide to setting and reaching your health goals from a weight-neutral perspective. This program can be used by individuals, or by groups, including as a workplace wellness program!
Price: $25.00 ($10 for DancesWithFat members - register on the member page)

Body Love Obstacle Course

This e-course that includes coaching videos, a study guide, and an ebook with the tools you need to create a rock-solid relationship with your body. Our relationships with our bodies don't happen in a vacuum, so just learning to see our beauty isn't going to cut it. The world throws obstacles in our way - obstacles that aren't our fault, but become our problem. Over the course of this program, Ragen Chastain, Jeanette DePatie, and six incredible guest coaches will teach you practical, realistic, proven strategies to go above, around, and through the obstacles that the world puts in front of you when it comes to living an amazing life in the body you have now.
Price: $99.00
($79.00 for DancesWithFat members - register on the member page)

Love It! 234 Inspirations And Activities to Help You Love Your Body
This is filled with thoughtful advice from the authors Jeanette DePatie, Ragen Chastain, and Pia Sciavo-Campo as well as dozens of other notable names from the body love movement, the book is lovingly illustrated with diverse drawings from size-positive artist Toni Tails.
Price: $9.99 softcover, $7.99 Kindle, ($6.95 + free shipping for DancesWithFat Members)

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book and Dance Class Sale! I'm on a journey to complete an IRON-distance triathlon, and I'm having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here! ( DancesWithFat Members get an even better deal, make sure to make your purchases from the Members Page!)

Book Me! I'd love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I'm (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

Dentists’ Dangerous Diet Talk

Hi, I'm Ragen Chastain. Speaker, Writer, Dancer, Choreographer, Marathoner, Soon to be Iron-distance triathlete, Activist, Fat Person. View all posts by Ragen Chastain


Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog